White-Specked Whale
Guidestone Whale
If you're struggling to find some good catching grounds, follow a White-Specked Whale. They know more about how to find fish than we ever will!
The White-Specked Whale is a species of toothed whale, one of four in the known world together with Pine Whale, Pygmy White-Specked Whale and the Sand Whale.
The White-Specked Whale is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range and migrates seasonally for breeding and feeding. The whales form schools, up to twenty in number, for safety and to hunt together. Females give birth every ten to twelve years and care for their calves for up to two decades. Whilst the adult White-Specked Whales have few predators, the calves and weakened whales are easier targets and rely on the school to survive.
Mature males average 10 metres (33 ft) in length but the largest have reached 18 metres (26 ft). Shallow divers, the White-Specked whales keep to roughly 400 metres (1,312 ft) where they hunt fish and squid. Like all toothed whales, White-Specked Whales use echolocation to hunt their prey. Whilst not much is known about their lifespan, it has been rumoured that they can live for over two hundred and they continue to grow throughout their life.
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Characteristics
The White-Specked Whale is the second largest of the toothed whales in the known world, only superseded by the Pine Whale, measuring up to 18 metres (26 ft) long and weighing up to 70 tonnes.
The males are roughly 20% larger than the females although both genders are born at the same size. Whilst both genders continue to grow throughout their lives the males typically grow twice as fast, resulting in them being roughly 30-40% longer and twice the size. Uniquely, the White-Specked whale has finlets down its caudal fin. These give the whale the ability to rapidly turn without harming its spine and make them adept for hunting its prey, schools of fish.
The whale's skin is exceptionally smooth and coloured a deep blue-grey with white spots all over the upper half of its body, giving rise to the name. The bottom of the whale is always a light grey or white to perplex predators from below. Like all whales, the White-Speckled whale has a blowhole, typically skewed to the right, and can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes.
Distribution and Habitat
White-Specked Whales are the most common of the toothed whales in the known world, bar Sunfallen Ocean and the surrounding seas and can be found in every body of water with good fishing conditions. It is believed that the shallowness of Cassian Bay is the main reason why the whales do next venture westward past Ankia.
The whales are typically found nearer the coast and following the migration paths of their prey. Unlike other, deep diving, whales the White-Speckled Whales do not stray into deep waters. It has been reported that the whales will enter surprisingly shallow water and nearly beach themselves to sleep in safety.
Ecology and Behaviour
The White-Specked Whale swims in pods of up to twenty in number and migrate each year to warm waters to breed. They communicate through a series of clicks and creaks to share the location of each other, prey and potential predators and are typically found towards the surface of the water or visibly beneath the surface to hunt or travel.
They sing to each you other you know. It's beautiful really, each time a ballad or jig in a language that we will never understand.
Diet and Hunting
Medium sized fish and squid are the main prey of the White-Specked Whale. During the day, the school will envelop fish schools into a bait ball before taking turns to swim through and eat. As night falls, and squid surface to hunt in the shallows, the whales dive and attack from below. Generally, fish make up the majority of their diet. The White-Specked Whales use echolocation to hunt their prey and their clicks can be heard by divers in the vicinity.
Reproduction
As a schooling mammal, the largest and strongest male is exclusively permitted the right of breeding with the females in his school. It is not uncommon for the leadership of this alpha to be challenged intermittently however, exclusively to the White-Specked Whale, the loser of the contest is banned from the school. It is not uncommon for a handful of females to follow the defeated and form break-away schools. It is believed that these females may be pregnant with the exiled bulls young and those calves will be killed if born.
Once a calf is born, it is vulnerable to attack. and remains close to its mother for two decades before they are large enough to survive without protection from another whale. The calves and the females spend the majority of their time hunting and socialising under the watchful gaze of the pod alpha.
Threats
As a result of their size, their a few predators that can tackle a lone White-Specked Whale, let alone a school of them. It is rare to find a solitary White-Specked Whale and those that are found alone are typically the largest of bulls who have been exiled from their school after a failed attempt on the school alpha. Several sharks and other whales, particularly the highly aggressive Pine Whales, may attempt to take on the bull but their strength and size mean they must be in a weakened or wounded state for an attack to take place.
In a school, the whales form formations to guard the most vulnerable of their number, typically with their tails out which can cause severe damage to any attackers. It has been recorded that larger predators will attempt to drag a younger calf underwater or push it underneath the water with its body weight.
Relationship with humans
White-Specked Whales are exceptionally friendly with humans and are known to swim up to fishing boats and divers. They are considered a good luck symbol for fishermen as the whales are always near schools of fish or squid hunting grounds and it is common for the teeth of the White-Specked Whales to wore as pendants by fisherman to hopefully channel the fish-finding ability of the whales.
The way I see it, they help us make money and keep us safe. They don't need any money them whales but we can make damn sure they're not killed for some snooty noble who's never had to worry about getting the fish haul in.
Due to their agility and pod mentality, whaling of the White-Specked whales is rare and considered in poor taste, together with dangerous. There is a very exclusive market for their blubber, with an exceptional price paid for each portion, but it is banned in most states and any fisherman witnessing their hunting are prone to reporting or intercepting the hunters, such as their affinity for the whales.
White-Specked Whale
Guidestone Whale
Population
Unknown
Longevity
Up to 200 years
Diet
Carnivore
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